Sara has dreamed of becoming Miss Alabama for eight years. This year marked her third attempt at the crown, after competing twice before without winning. She first entered a National American Miss pageant at the age of 15, fueled by a strong desire to win, but did not place. "At 16 I came back as a Teen," she said on Instagram. "I worked so hard and changed everything about myself. "I became who I thought they wanted. Days before the pageant, I had a mean boy tell me I was 'too ugly' to win. I was going to prove him wrong so I went into pageant weekend with a fire under me. I didn't even place. "I was humiliated and hung my head low thinking my non-placement meant one thing. He was right. I vowed to never compete again. So I didn't. For seven years.
